380.671.01 ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY--CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, INTERVENTIONS

Addresses aspects of adolescent fertility, sexual behavior, and reproductive health, including its social and economic roots, its relationship to cultural change, and its individual, developmental etiology. Explores consequences of early fertility, emphasizing interventions and their assessment and the effects of public policy. Focuses mainly on the U.S., although comparisons are made with other developed and less-developed countries. Emphasizes developing skills useful in real-world public health practice.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1 - Identify and explain key factors - developmental, educational, economic, socio-cultural and political - that impact the causes, the nature of, and the consequences of adolescent sexual and reproductive behaviors. 2 - Apply their substantive knowledge of that range of adolescent issues, in combination with skills acquired in this course and in their methodological course work, to design, develop, monitor and evaluate programs and policies for adolescents in both domestic and international settings and demonstrate these skills by a) crafting a grant proposal summary and b) conducting a grant review. 3 - Evaluate literature on controversial health issues in order to distinguish well-designed studies from weak designs, findings from opinions, and fact from dogma. 4 - Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of issues related to objectives 1-3 sufficient to a) prepare a briefing memo and b) present a concise, oral presentation on the same topic, and to respond spontaneously and effectively to questions on relevant issues.